International friendly versus Manchester City to go ahead as planned

July 18, 201112:00AM PDT

With improvements in the weather and the continuous work by restoration crews on Bell Pitch at Empire Field, Vancouver Whitecaps FC are pleased to announce that tonight’s international friendly versus Manchester City FC will go ahead as scheduled. Tonight's match officials have assessed the pitch and have deemed that the newly-laid grass is in a playable condition.

Restoration crews have been working on the pitch tirelessly since Friday night when heavy rain began to fall. A combination of flood trucks, vacuums, suction, and lawn mowers were used to remove excess water which built up over the weekend.

“Without the hard work and dedication of our restoration crew, we would not be in a position to play tonight’s match,” said Paul Barber, Vancouver Whitecaps FC chief executive officer. “I would like to thank all of our staff, and of course our fans, for their support during the past days, as we worked on a solution for tonight’s match.”

Tonight’s match is sure to be exciting for fans both on and off Bell Pitch at Empire Field. Fans will have the opportunity to partake in unique activities, such as having their photo taken with the English FA Cup.

Tickets for tonight’s international friendly between Whitecaps FC and Manchester City FC – which kicks off at 7 p.m. PT – are still available at all Ticketmaster Ticket Centres, online at ticketmaster.ca, or Charge-by-Phone at 1.855.6.GO-CAPS.